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Biomedical subjects

S Abramson

Publications and source records attributed to S Abramson.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The release of inflammatory mediators from neutrophils.

Human polymorphonuclear leukocytes exposed to phagocytic stimuli undergo a series of cellular reactions designed to eliminate foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi. The responses of human granulocytes to the stimuli of phagocytosis are initiated at the cell surface and proceed in the following sequence: a. ligand binding to surface receptors; b. membrane hyperpolarization; c. O2- generation by a surface oxidase and 1O2 metabolism; d. generation of thromboxanes and prostaglandins; e. lysosomal enzyme secretion. These events, known as 'stimulus-secretion coupling', result in the secretion of toxic substances which, though intended to end up in the phagocytic vacuole, may escape to the extracellular space where they initiate inflammation.

Arachidonic Acid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Medical student referral patterns for musculoskeletal disorders.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between medical student knowledge and exposure to physiatry and the student's referral patterns for musculoskeletal disorders. Surveys were mailed to senior medical students at five United States medical schools across the country with a response rate of 26% (n=191). Five common musculoskeletal and neurologic disorders were presented as clinical vignettes and the student was asked to assume the role of a primary care physician and refer the patient to one of eight specialists listed. A section to assess the student's subjective overall knowledge and exposure to these fields was also included. Physiatrists received 27% of the referrals for evaluation and treatment of chronic low-back pain, 3% of the referrals for acute low-back pain, 10% of the referrals for carpal tunnel syndrome, 22% of the referrals for an industrial medicine injury, and 20% of the referrals for a sports medicine injury. The frequency of physiatry referrals for three of the five cases was significantly correlated (P < 0.05) with the student's overall knowledge of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). The presence of a department of PM&R at the student's school, however, did not have a significant impact on the rate of referrals. The results indicate that senior medical students referral patterns are strongly influenced by knowledge of PM&R. This suggests that focusing efforts on increasing this awareness may be an effective means of increasing referrals to physiatry in the future.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of court-appointed advocates to assist in permanency planning for minority children.

Despite federal law on reuniting children in care with their families, minority children remain in dependency longer and are more likely to be placed in long-term foster care than white children. This article describes a program of volunteer, court-appointed advocates to assist in cases of abuse and neglect involving minority families, and an outcome study. Significantly fewer children were placed in long-term foster care and significantly more children were placed in adoptive families than in a comparison group of families.

Adoption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The mechanisms of action of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

In mammalian species and in the oldest of multicellular animal forms, NSAIDs inhibit cell activation, apparently in the absence of effects on PG biosynthesis. Thus, an alternative hypothesis can be proposed to account for the antiinflammatory effects of these drugs. Clearly, at low doses aspirin and most of the newer NSAIDs inhibit the biosynthesis of PGs from arachidonic acid, and stable PGs have been shown to mediate fever, hyperalgesia, vasodilation (edema), and several interleukin-1-dependent responses. At high doses, however, aspirin, sodium salicylate, and the newer NSAIDs (at antiinflammatory doses) inhibit non-PG-dependent processes, such as the activity of a variety of enzymes, proteoglycan synthesis by chondrocytes, transmembrane ion fluxes, and chemoattractant binding. These effects are most likely due to the capacity of aspirin-like drugs to insert into the lipid bilayer of plasma membranes, where they disrupt normal signaling events and protein-protein interactions. The ability of NSAIDs to thereby inhibit the activation of inflammatory cells such as the neutrophil may contribute to the antiinflammatory properties of this class of drugs.

Animals↗